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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. game — a match
  16. content — the amount
  17. game — wild animals
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. stock — shares
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com